Gun found at Southwest Baltimore elementary and middle school sparks concern among parents
BALTIMORE -- For the second time in less than a week, a gun has been found in a Baltimore City school.
The most recent incident was at North Bend Elementary Middle School, according to officials.
A district spokesperson said a teacher observed a student showing what appeared to be a gun to other students. When a search was conducted, officials say they found the weapon on the student.
A source told WJZ that a student was arrested and that the weapon was loaded.
On Tuesday afternoon, some parents picked up their children a few hours early—before dismissal.
"I just felt compelled to come get them," parent Marcus Benson said. "I'm kind of fighting with: how do I even explain this to them? They've never been fearful of coming to school, but these are the type of things that can happen that can really alter the way you look at coming to school."
At least seven guns have been found in Baltimore city schools since the beginning of the school year.
- Mervo High School on Sept. 2—the weapon officials believe was used in Jeremiah Brogden's murder
- ConneXions Community School on Sept. 8
- Bluford Drew Jemison STEM Academy on Oct. 13
- Booker T. Washington Middle School on Oct. 19
- Forest Park High School on Oct. 25
- Mervo High School on Nov. 10
- North Bend Elementary / Middle School on Nov. 15
Baltimore County officials also confirmed the following weapons were recovered at county schools.
- Randallstown High on Sept. 15
- Outside Chesapeake High on Sept. 15
- Parkville High on Nov. 7
"It's been normalized. We need to change the culture so it doesn't seem normal to see a gun," Sutton House CEO Dr. Ted Sutton said.
Sutton ran into problems as a young person but turned his life around. Now, he is determined to help others do the same. He said children usually carry around weapons because they don't feel safe.
"At the end of the day, they want to be safe and they'll do whatever," Sutton said. "And a lot of times they don't make the best decisions. I don't think they see the magnitude of having something that can take somebody's life."